


Will this ever end?

by Nnoki



Series: After the War, only ashes remain [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Multi, POV First Person, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Nuclear War, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 13:12:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16640771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nnoki/pseuds/Nnoki
Summary: Nuclear weapons mixed with chemical weapons in WW3 created the biggest infection ever, a zombie-like virus that infects people's minds transforming them in lethal killing machines, only the strongest survive and the world keeps falling apart.Throw in Eric, a teen that somehow managed to survive, he might not be alone in his journey to stay alive.But, will he manage to keep his companions safe?





	1. The Virus

**Hi, I'm Eric, and I'm 18 years old**

I remember that day like it was yesterday, it was a regular and pretty calm day, checking through twitter when suddenly social media became crazy, almost everyone in the world started using the hashtag #WW3, for a second i thought it was just a joke, maybe a president did something clumsy on another country; well, it turns out we weren't that wrong after all. USA was attacked, Nukes fell in Atlanta and New York, a new type of gas bomb fell in Nashville, not too far from Atlanta. Many people managed to escape barely alive, the problem was when the chemicals were struck by the radiation, and when those chemicals entered into the human body. Humans who were exposed to this cloud of chemicals started getting irrational, savage, they became monsters whose only mission was to kill, at least that's what I managed to read on my way to the nearest supermarket, I expected it to be more crowded, I think the news haven't spread out of social media, I saw panic on the people who were there with me, we all were grabbing as much canned food as possible, I knew what was coming, the news would spread soon and everyone would come and fight for the remaining food, I rather take less cans and run faster than have them stolen. I approached the cashier, it might be the end of the world but I would still be a civilized person. He saw my panic face, asked me what was going on and why everyone was getting so much canned food, I told him everything, showed him the pictures, his face was plain white. He managed to attend me, gave me his employee 50% off and ran to the storage after he ended with me. I took my bags and ran, someone was waiting for me outside on his car, my trusted friend from middle school, Charlie, he asked me if he could stay over, I of course told him yes. That's when the whole city went down.

* * *

 

Well, I think I missed some details, I'm not from the US, I live in Mexico's border with the US, so we didn't have much time to prepare for the virus, we had 2 choices

1.- Leave as soon as possible, heading south or on a boat heading to another continent.

2.- Stay, most of Mexico's houses are built with bars to prevent theft, maybe they'll prove useful to stop a horde, at least for a while.

 

We decided number 2, and hoped that my house was enough to survive.

* * *

My family went out on a vacation, I stayed because I had to work, they were on the south of the country, lucky them. Decided a simple phone call would be enough, it was far more difficult than I could imagine.

-What do you mean you'll stay?, You're coming on the next flight and here we'll figure out what to do!- Said mom

-There's no point, the whole city is chaos and news say most airports are shut down- I replied

-Then take the car, drive here so that way we can have a car to move around- Said grandpa

-I don't know how to drive, also the streets are a complete chaos, I heard there was people stealing everywhere- I replied again

I knew this would be the hardest thing I would ever say in my life.

-You know, I can survive a while here, this morning when I found out about everything I went to the supermarket for canned food, also I got the fruit trees on the back, I'm fine, Charlie is staying with me, we're fine- I said, then there was silence, -You just gotta keep heading south, all the chaos will spread and I don't want you near it, we'll survive-I said again, tears started to run through my cheeks, I could hear mom cry too -And if we don't, I guess this is goodbye, I love you two- I said, Mom was about to talk, I hung up, couldn't bear to hear her cry anymore, my phone kept ringing, I wouldn't answer.

Charlie's call went differently, it lasted less than mine, his parents were on their house, packing everything to leave the next day, Charlie asked them if I could go, the truck didn't have enough room for another person, he wanted to stay with me but his parents said that they would pick him up at my place the next day.

-Sorry, I don't want to leave you here, but you know my parents, they'll take me anyway and I rather want you to have a door that can protect you than my dad destroying it just to take me- He said, that made both of us giggle, we started to reconsider if it was a good idea to stay the night there, his parent would be furious if we left and they probably could protect him better than I could, we were staying, at least I was. We closed everything, doors, windows and blocked some too with old furniture, went into my room and we fell asleep on the rug. 


	2. Is this goodbye?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye good friend, hope to see you again some time

**Morning came**

It was 6:00 a.m., I've been up for about 1 and a half hours, Charlie was still sleeping like nothing was happening; I've always been self conscious, I tend to overthink everything, and this, this was like a nightmare that became true, all I could think about was my family driving, I hoped they were going south and not north, I hoped they wouldn't come back for me, It would be too dangerous, I hoped Charlie could meet his family again, that they could run away, I went to the kitchen with a bag, packed about 10 cans of food and started writing some letters, writing always made me feel calm, and in this moment that was all what I needed. I was only snapped out of my trance when Charlie moved my shoulder.

-Why are you up so early?- I asked

-Early?, It is 9:30, I actually took a shower, How long have you been here?- He replied, It turned out that I spent the last 3 hours writing and didn't notice

-Not much, here I prepared this for your trip- I gave him the bag with cans

-I won't take it, you'll need it more than me, I'm sure my parents brought food with them, enough to get to Costa Rica at least- He said, with a sad expression on his face

-Well- I replied -I wrote this letters, please promise me you'll deliver them if you find this people-

-I bet there's one for me too here isn't it?- He said

-Well, yeah there is but promise me not to open it yet, just if you find out that i'm gone- I said, I could feel like I was about to cry

-And what if I want to open it now?- He replied

-I know you won't- I said, then turned around and went to grab some water, feeling a knot in the throat

We started talking about a lot of stuff, we knew that soon al phone services would be offline and we couldn't communicate, I gave him my portable battery so he could keep his phone with battery and we could talk. We knew this was goodbye, forever, but none of us wanted to admit it, his parents arrived and started knocking on the door, this was it.

His mother came and hugged me, she ran to her truck crying, she couldn't handle it.

His father gave me a handshake, told me goodbye and went into the truck.

Charlie was the last one, he hugged me and gave me one of his bracelets

-Promise me you'll give this back to me some day- He said

-I'll try my best- I replied

He went into his truck, his dad turned it on, and it started moving.

I was now completely alone.

* * *

 

**At noon**

I was resting on my couch, thinking about what would I do, looking at thinks I could use as barricades, looking out for food anywhere and most of all, looking for a "weapon".

- _Attention please, volunteers are required on the border line, please go to your nearest crossing bridge for instructions; _Attention please, volunteers are required on the border line, please go to your nearest crossing bridge for instructions; ..._ -_

A police truck passed by with that audio looping, I went outside, locked the doors and decided to volunteer, told the officers and they took me there. There were about 100000 people there.

Exactly at 2:00 p.m. a man came and stepped in front of everyone on a kind of podium and exclaimed

-People, the US isn't safe anymore, they can't control the epidemic and believe me that if it reaches our land, we won't be able to do it either, so we will reinforce our border so no unpleasant visitors come, now the virus is calculated to arrive here in 3 days so, we have 3 days to build up our defenses, here's the plan:

Line 1.- Fences, made of Steel and about 4 meters high

Field.- Barbed Wire all over the floor so those things get stuck there, maybe some holes in the middle

Line 2.- A wall, 6 meters tall, solid concrete, 2 layers, so it can stand the horde-

Many people seemed scared, I just wanted to help as much as I could, and actually I got an easy duty, digging the holes on the field while others built the wall, I kept doing it for 2 days.

News were coming every hour on where the horde actually is, by the middle of the 3rd day we were finished, and the horde kept coming closer.

The same guy in a suit, now full of dirt because he was helping with the fences, came up and told everyone that now the whole border was covered thanks to the efforts of many cities and no infected people have been seen on this side, at least for now.

* * *

I was coming back home, it was getting dark, then on my way back I saw them...

 


	3. Them?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hardest part of this madness wasn't taking care of himself, it was taking care of them

On the back, of an old restaurant's alleyway, there I saw them, looking for food on the trash; Who's them you might be wondering?

You see, when I was beginning High School's 3rd semester we needed to do Social Service, and I decided to do mine on a near Middle School, I gotta confess it wasn't on the best conditions but I managed to stay alive, there I met this 4 kids who were pretty cool and they talked to me. Sadly, being a low resource school they didn't had the best backgrounds, but they were actually pretty smart, this was about 2 years ago. They were:

  * Axel: The oldest of the group, he was one grade ahead but didn't liked to hang out with his classmates, so he began to talk to the guys one grade below. The tallest and strongest of the group. His parents were getting a divorce when I met him, his father being an alcoholic.
  * Samuel: The second oldest, What can be said about him?, he's just the smartest of the 4, always getting good grades and actually the fastest runner out of them. His parents didn't take much care of him, they were very busy every day.
  * Patrick: The third oldest, the extrovert, the funny one, friends with everyone but found comfort on his core group. His dad used to beat him, he was full of bruises on his stomach and chest.
  * Jason: The youngest, the "cute", full of insecurities but willing to be with his friends. His parents died on a car accident when he was 6 and he was taken to a foster home where other kids bullied him because he was the smallest.



Everyone had tragic backstories, and now the 4 of them were looking for food on the trash bin, I approached

-Hey, remember me?- I said when I was about 3 meters away from them

Jason looked at me and ran to hug me, everyone else just came walking, and gave me a high five.

-What are you guys doing here?-I asked

-Well, you know how all this chaos happened, we decided to try to survive on our own, and I think it was for the best- Axel said

-But what happened, how did everyone left their houses?- I asked again

-Well, for me it was easy, just went through the front door like it was nothing, I think my parents still don't notice I'm gone- Samuel said

-I was staying with my dad, just waited for him to get drunk and fall asleep, I left a letter for my mom so she doesn't worry- Axel said, still digging in the trash

-I just jumped out of my room's window onto a tree, then ran away- Patrick said, with an awkward laugh, I noticed before he couldn't walk well, that might be it

-Well, me and the other kids were about to get into a bus and leave the city, but then this guys came and "rescued" me, I rather stay here with them- Jason said, hugging Patrick with one arm

-And what are you doing here?- Samuel asked me

-Well, my parents were on a vacation when all of this happened, I told them I could survive and meet them on the south later, so I'm staying alone at my house- I said

-Wow, they were lucky to not be here- Patrick said

-Well, yeah, I had to work, then when everything happened I helped on the border protection plan, digging holes and things like that- I replied

-Thanks, for protecting us with your shovel- Said Jason, jokingly

-Don't tell me you're looking for food over there- I told Axel, he was still digging in the trash

-Well, it is a restaurant, there has to be something here- He replied

-Guys, I got some food at my house, I can give some to you- I said

The 4 of them looked at me, their faces amazed like if they haven't had anything to eat in ages

We walked to my house

* * *

We arrived to my house about 20 minutes later, the walk was very silent with some occasional jokes from Patrick

-Well, this is my house- I said when we were at the front door

-Wow, how many people lived here?- Jason said, amazed

-Just 3- I replied

It certainly wasn't a mansion, just a big house, but he was still amazed

I opened the door with my keys, then the 5 of us went inside

-Stay on the living room for a while guys, I'm gonna cook you something- I said, heading towards the kitchen, there I saw the bag I tried to give to Charlie, we still talked but not as much, the last message was about yesterday morning, he told me he was passing through the capital, I hope they're okay.

I started to cook them a dish, I still had some chicken on the freezer and vegetables, so I went with that, It is food that does perish so I had to cook it soon anyways

Cooking was very relaxing for me, I felt calm while the veggies were frying on the pan, that sizzling they made.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Jason, I didn't even noticed when he came in

-Wow, you scared me for a second there- I said

-Oh, sorry, I just wanted to see if you needed any help- He replied

-Well, not really but I could use some company- I replied

-Oh, you want me to stay here?- He asked pulling a chair

-Sure- I replied, getting the chicken out of the pot and getting it into a pan

We talked a bit, I could feel he was a little nervous, like he wanted to tell me something

-Well, this is ready, but I think you're super hungry aren't you?- I asked him

-Well, last time we ate it was canned soup about 2 days ago, and it was pretty bad- He said

-Okay, then this won't be enough, I'll prepare something else really quick- I replied while getting some things out of the freezer and some out of some shelves

-How did you learn to cook?- He asked me

-My grandma taught me, just to keep me occupied as a kid, but I like it a lot, do you know how to cook?- I asked

-No, no one ever taught me how to do it- He replied

-Do you want to learn right now?- I offered him a spoon I was about to work with

-You'll teach me?- He asked, standing up

-Yeah, I actually learned to do it with this dish, it isn't that hard- I replied, moving at the side

-Okay- He grabbed the spoon -What should I do now?-

-Butter the pan, but not too much- I replied

I was there teaching him how to cook and about 20 minutes later he finished, it was great, better than my first one.

-You should go tell the other guys that dinner's ready- I told him, he went to the living room

About 10 seconds later the 4 of them were already sitting on the table, I gave each of them a plate, I had one too, I sat next to Jason, we ate together at the table.

-This might be the best thing I ate on my life- Axel said

-I got some help from this guy over here- I replied, pointing towards Jason

-It was nothing- Jason said

-So, where are you guys staying?- I asked

-Well, we found some stuff and built a hideout under a bridge nearby- Patrick said

-Shut up Pat, he's joking, we actually stayed at the school, we slept on a desk- Samuel said

-Well, i'm kinda looking for "roomies", you guys could help around and stay here, we could survive a while- I said

-You're kidding right?- Axel asked

-No, I got the 2 couches on the living room, my parent's room has a king bed and my room has a queen bed, wherever you want to sleep it's fine for me- I replied

-I'm in, guys we need this- Jason said

-I'm in- They replied, almost at the same time

-Okay, who's staying where?- I asked

Samuel ended up in the couch, it wasn't that bad actually, I often slept there because was too tired to go to bed

Axel and Patrick went to my parent's bed

That only left Jason

Everyone else left to their respective sleeping zones, Jason and I were still on the kitchen, I was washing the dishes

-So you either stay on the other couch or stay with me, what do you want?- I asked him, thinking on which blanket I would put on his couch

-You know what?, I think I'm staying with you, of course if you don't mind- He said

-I don't- I replied

* **Knock Knock***

Someone knocked the door, I went to open, hoping that at the other side there wasn't my family

I opened it, a guy with a big box was there

-Are you Erick?- He asked

-Yeah, why?- I replied

-I'm giving you this- He have me the box -It is a way to say thank you for your work on the border

-Thanks- I said, he just started to walk away

I took the box to the kitchen table where Jason was sitting, opened it

It was full of canned food, enough to keep one person alive for at least 3 months

I stored it on the shelves, then went to my room with Jason

I told him to choose a side, while I went to check if everyone else was doing okay

I went to my parent's room, Axel and Patrick were asleep

I went to the living room, Samuel was asleep

I went back to my room, Jason was asleep, but he was shivering, I covered him on a blanket, when I heard

-Thanks mommy- Jason mumbled on his dream

That was cute...

I went to the other side of the bed, then fell asleep too.

 


End file.
